Suicidality, self‐efficacy and mental health help‐seeking in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults in Taiwan: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aim and objectives The study aimed to investigate the associations of suicide risk, self‐efficacy and mental health help‐seeking among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT). Background The LGBT individuals were found to have higher risk of suicide. However, mental health promotion and suicide prevention strategies were lacking in this population. Design A cross‐sectional survey with two‐group comparison. Methods The LGBT group was recruited through snowballing method, which was then age‐matched with the comparison group as the reference. The questionnaire contained demographics, self‐rated health, suicide risk assessment and help‐seeking indicators including formal (e.g. medical or psychiatric services) and informal (e.g. family or friends) help sought. Chi‐square tests, t‐tests, two‐way ANOVA and multivariable regression were performed to test the differences between two groups. The methods followed STROBE criteria. Results The LGBT group had a significantly higher prevalence of lifetime/recent suicide ideation, prior suicide attempts and mental distress or depressive symptoms. Their self‐rated health and health‐related self‐efficacy were poorer than those of the comparison group and were associated with increased suicide risk levels. Among the 27.1% of LGBT who intended to seek help for depression, one in five visited psychiatric services. The LGBT were 2–4 times more likely than the comparison group to disclose their distress or seek informal help. However, psychiatric and medical service contacts were relatively low for suicide high‐risk individuals in the LGBT group. Conclusions The LGBT individuals had a lower level of self‐efficacy and higher suicidal risks than the general public. Healthcare professionals and the public should be aware of their informal help‐seeking signals such as disclosure of suicide ideation to friends/relatives and connect them to proper mental health resources for further assessment. Relevance to clinical practice The LGBT with suicide risks require early detection and proper referrals by first‐line nurses to promote suicide prevention in this population.

Correlates of wanting to seek help for mental health and substance use concerns by sexual and gender minority young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A machine learning analysis

“…The top 10 correlates of wanting to seek help among 2SLGBTQI+ young adults identified in our study were mainly related to mental health challenges, age, sexual and gender identity related stigma and discrimination, and ACEs (Figs 2 and 3 ). Consistent with previous research, we found an association between wanting to seek help and poor or fair self-rated mental health status [ 54 , 55 ]. Previous research reported decreased rate of seeking help among those who seriously considered or attempted suicide [ 54 , 56 ].…”

“…Consistent with previous research, we found an association between wanting to seek help and poor or fair self-rated mental health status [ 54 , 55 ]. Previous research reported decreased rate of seeking help among those who seriously considered or attempted suicide [ 54 , 56 ]. In our study, we found increased likelihood of wanting to seek help among participants who had suicidal thoughts in the past year.…”

Health and Social Inclusion: The Impact of Psychological Well-Being and Suicide Attempts Among Older Men Who Have Sex With Men

“…People who have suicidal ideation have a considerably increased risk of suicide compared with those who do not ( Boyer et al, 2021 ). It has been identified that MSM are at a greater risk of suicidal ideation than heterosexual men ( Ramírez et al, 2020 ; Wu & Lee, 2021 ), which may be related to the prejudice and stigma connected with their sexuality ( Blosnich et al, 2020b ; Fulginiti et al, 2021 ).…”

Understanding and responding to remote mental health help-seeking by gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in the U.K. and Republic of Ireland: a mixed-method study conducted in the context of COVID-19

“…However, there is a scarcity of research examining MH help-seeking behaviour among GBMSM and none during COVID-19. Generally, GBMSM-related MH help-seeking research has predominantly focused upon identity-specific barriers that exist among GBMSM when seeking help for their MH (McDermott, 2015 ; Wu & Lee, 2021 ; Zay et al, 2021 ) such as LGBTQ stigma and a dual LGBTQ MH stigma (McDermott, 2015 ; Zay et al, 2021 ). However, since the social distancing requirements of COVID-19 shifted most health services to online (websites) or telehealth delivery (Murphy, 2020 ), we now need to understand this remote MH help-seeking, which has increased 12-fold during the pandemic (Pierce, Perrin, Tyler, McKee, & Watson, 2021 ).…”